PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Shares Sold by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lowered its holdings in shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 134,800 shares of the company’s stock after selling 480 shares during the period. PepsiCo accounts for 0.8% of Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in PepsiCo were worth $20,498,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Tcfg Wealth Management LLC raised its position in PepsiCo by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Tcfg Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Lincoln Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Lincoln Capital LLC now owns 16,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,556,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of PepsiCo by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC now owns 3,128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $476,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Osprey Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Osprey Private Wealth LLC now owns 15,060 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,290,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, TAGStone Capital Inc. lifted its stake in PepsiCo by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. TAGStone Capital Inc. now owns 2,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $388,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on PEP shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of PepsiCo from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on PepsiCo in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. They issued a $172.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on PepsiCo from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays lowered shares of PepsiCo from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their target price for the company from $168.00 to $156.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on PepsiCo from $183.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $169.88.

PepsiCo Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $146.45 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $200.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.52. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $149.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $158.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. PepsiCo, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $141.51 and a fifty-two week high of $183.41.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.02. PepsiCo had a net margin of 10.43% and a return on equity of 58.87%. The firm had revenue of $27.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $27.89 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.78 EPS. PepsiCo’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.355 per share. This represents a $5.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. PepsiCo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.99%.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo, Inc engages in the manufacture, marketing, distribution, and sale of various beverages and convenient foods worldwide. The company operates through seven segments: Frito-Lay North America; Quaker Foods North America; PepsiCo Beverages North America; Latin America; Europe; Africa, Middle East and South Asia; and Asia Pacific, Australia and New Zealand and China Region.